Its so good here!

Right now we have some people visiting who are very close to us. I do my very best to work feverishly and fast so I can have some extra time to spend with them during their vacation here. I don't get to see my northern peeps enough, its actually rare to have any of them come to the Keys. I think mostly its the mindset of "I have too much to do" that hits us in that part of the country, instead of taking care of ourselves, and feeding our own souls. I can say that because for far too long I was just as much a part of that "machine" as the next person. I also can say I stepped off that wheel, and I'm not going back.

Anyway, as mentioned, I want to have some extra time to spend, so I have to work hard to do that. Yesterday was a very busy day. I'd gnaw my arm off (well, not really, but you get the drift) to go to the Key West Garden Club Plant show & sale, as mentioned in an earlier post. My goal this year was to find a special shrub or tree and plant it in memory of our friend Sue who so recently passed. Mission accomplished. The show was beautiful. Sue was all around, as we admired the orchids especially. The caliber of the artists is very high at this show (as is with most any art show down here, yay!) I found myself coming home with a beautiful ceramic sunflower for my garden made by a local potter, a glass beaded necklace from a jewelry-maker, some tea towels from the garden show yard sale, plus we even met an a Key West artist at the show who is opening a new gallery just around Thanksgiving, and get this... he had a piece of art celebrating our Earth, vegetarians, compassion & kindness. I snagged a bunch of his cards, and will be placing his gallery in our guest book. I fell in love with his art (www.NakedArtistKeyWest.com) its bold, colorful, unique, and fun.

After the show, we began heading back up the Keys to Big Pine, stopping at a couple other places, and finally made it home. We had plans with our friends to go see Jahfe' at Boondocks last night. We made our way over there after the sun had set, and sat down to find the crowd relatively heavy (there were THREE great concerts last night, 2 really biggies in Key West, so we thought the crowd would be light at Boondocks, surprisingly it wasn't). We checked the menu, ordered our dinners and drinks, and sat back under the giant tiki with a soft breeze coming through. The band started, and I have to say, they were just as awesome as always. I love reggae so much, I love this band, and I love the smiles that come from these musicians as they open their hearts & souls to share their music with us. Although our friends didn't make it on to the dance floor, Mr. Happy Vegan & I did... another mark of a successful evening. I towed the line, would not cross it, knowing 6am would be just around the corner. We left before their final set (its that third set that without fail gets me into trouble, too late, too many cocktails, too many everythings!) and made our way home. I giggled my way up the back steps, under the brilliant glow of the almost-full moon, wrote out my menu for this morning, and snuggled in for the night, thankful for all that is here.

Yesterday was "just another day." Nothing special, nothing extra-ordinary. But, for me that is what makes it so special. I thought about my day, from the master gardeners down in Key West who helped me choose just the perfect plant for Sue, the artists who share their creations and conversations with us, the vendors who bring the food to us (yay, they had Boca burgers at the garden club), and the treasures I discovered at the consignment shop on my way home. Last night, I sat under that tiki watching everything and everyone around me. I looked at the bright colored clothing many of us were wearing, the fact that no one had socks on in November, the happy people twirling, bouncing and laughing across the dance floor, the stars in the sky, and couldn't help but think over and over "wow, this is so good.

Thanksgiving is Thursday. I shall not wait until then to be thankful.